Paranormal
by Lynx Tiger
Summary: They could see things that no one else could see and yet they didn't have the powers that one would expect from a physic. They know deep down that seeing the abnormal made them paranormal themselves. Aware and unaware. Shizuru and Maya centric-fic
1. Knowing

**Lynx Tiger: Hopefully Shizuru isn't OOC. I really wanted to do a story involving her and hopefully will not be incomplete. **

**Pairings: None so far.  
**

Chapter One: Knowing

Shizuru Kuwabara was only ten years old when she discovered that what she could see shouldn't be seen. She remembered in the incident perfectly. She was leaving the school yard. She had gotten a gold star that day for acing a test that she barely even studied for. For some reason, she looked up and saw that the tree near the school gate was blooming. She smiled, spring had been her favorite season. Then she realized there was a shape on the branches. A young girl was sitting there, one leg propped up and the other hanging down. She was staring ahead with cold eyes. She turned and their eyes met. It startled Shizuru, but she didn't let it bother her. She probably had a bad day that's all.

She placed down her book bag and got herself ready to climb up when one of her friends walked by to join her. "What are you doing, Shizuru-chan?"

"There's a girl up there. She looks pretty upset. I was going to see what was wrong. Maybe she got bullied." Shizuru explained.

Her friend frowned and she scanned the trees. "There's no one up there, Shizuru-chan. Maybe she left?"

Shizuru looked up at the branches and saw the girl still sitting there, still watching her with emotionless eyes. It confused her. Was her friend serious that she couldn't see what was right in front of her? She looked back at her friend who was staring at her worriedly and confused. No, she couldn't see the girl. Shizuru wondered if it was from their positions. "Come here." She said, pointing to where she was standing. "She's on the low branch. You can't miss her."

Her friend hesitantly obeyed and tried to look. Five minutes later she shook her head. "I don't see anyone up there."

Shizuru was about to protest, but when she looked back at the branch, the person was gone. She blinked a few times and frowned. She knew she had been there just a few minutes ago! She turned to her friend who already was picking up her abandoned book bag and grabbed Shizuru's arm. "Come on, we'll be late for the train." She said.

That was when she learned she could see ghosts. Auras didn't come until she was a teenager, but she learned quickly not to say anything. After trying to convince her friend of things that were there, her friend had decided to tell the school's counselor. It made Shizuru irate that no one believed her, but had decided that maybe that was a good thing. She went through high school as a normal girl who just could see weird things.

Accidentally, she had mentioned about one of her friend's auras. She was in the bathroom redoing her hair and her friend came out looking pale and scared. She could see that her aura was mixed up worse than anything emotional. "What's wrong?" She asked.

"Just sick."

"You're more than just sick, you look like you're mixed up about something."

Her friend gave her a look. Everyone else believed her story that she was really ill. Shizuru on the other hand knew that auras never lied about anything. Anyone's emotions and sometimes even their thoughts were broadcast to her via aura. "I'm just sick."

"You're pregnant aren't you?" Shizuru asked simply.

The girl gasped. "How did you-"

"It's written all over your face and you can't deny it." It was better than saying that her aura was giving her away.

The girl never returned to school after that. Whether she got rid or kept the baby or thought that if Shizuru knew then everyone else did meant that she was banished from school, it was very unknown to her.

* * *

Memories. Mostly bad, mostly good. They were things that kept her thinking. She smoked, she had a job, she knew that she had one thing to protect in the world and that was her idiotic brother. She wasn't surprised that Kuzuma could see ghosts and auras and pinpoint objects by using his powers, but she was surprised that there was others that were just like him.

When she went on the adventures during the Dark Tournament and trying to help Keiko find Yusuke in Chapter Black, she realized that her baby brother had it worse than she did. If Koenma had found her, she would have to learn and train. She knew that it was best to stay the way she was. After all, it was most likely all that she could do. Genkai never told her that she had to unlock anything. Everything she had was out in the open.

The most she could do was help when she could. Support when they needed it, they certainly weren't going get it from Atsuko anytime soon even though Shizuru had to admit that if she ever wanted a drinking buddy, Yusuke's mom was the way to go.

"Shizuru-san?" Yukina walked into the room that she was currently in. Her body was leaned out of the window, a lit cigarette in her hand. The ice maiden knew that the cancer stick was bad for the woman, but no matter what method was used, no one could unattached the stick from Shizuru's fingers. "What's wrong?"

Troubling a gentle soul was never on Shizuru's agenda . She smiled and flicked the ash out into the grass below. "Just memories, Yukina-chan." She took a last drag, snuffed it out and tossed it in a glass cup that she carried with her. "Nothing is wrong."

"They'll come back safely." Yukina said with a soft smile. "They always reunite once in a while."

Shizuru nodded. Ever since Koenma broke up the team, everyone had went their separate ways. Yusuke at a ramen shop, her baby brother working in the science field, Hiei doing god knows what and Kurama working with his step father's company. Hiei rarely came to any of the reunions and when he did he only stayed for a second.

Oddly enough, he reminded her of the girl in the tree. A cold soul just looking for a place to belong…or maybe just a place to hang.


	2. Forgetting

**Lynx Tiger: Thank you to Trapped In Reality who beta'ed this chapter! I'm looking for a second beta who knows Shizuru Kuwabara very well to know when she's OOC and not. Contact me if you wanna help keep this story going! **

**Also I would like to thank my two reviewers. I love you both! Thank you for the favorites to those that faved this story. It means a lot.  
**

Chapter Two: Forgetting

She stood there for god knows how long in the hot sunlight. The onlookers saw a beautiful young woman with a sad frown on her face. Her brown eyes was staring on the ground critically, pointedly ignoring strands of hair that managed to get free from her bun. No one could see what she was looking at and some concluded that she was going to put up a roadside shrine. However, she was staring at a slimy green looking apparition that seemed to be stuck on the ground.

How long had she seen a ghost, an apparition of some sort when she was a little girl? Forever it seemed like and only now she was starting to see them. It felt…like deja vu. Every time she saw one, she looked in front of her. She opened her mouth to say something to the illusion, but it always shattered before she could say a name. What name? What was she going to say?

And here in this spot was a creature that resembled closely to green puss. It was digesting, and the horrible smell that came from the said object didn't help matters. Yet she still stood there, trying to remember what she had forgotten so long ago.

Maya was a nerd to her trade. Not the kind of nerd one would want to be associated with. She wasn't a math whiz, she wasn't very good at spelling back in elementary school, but her passions always led her to the extremes. Namely the paranormal. UFOs were to her beck and call, demons were at a word away, best of all, ghosts were always lurking somewhere, and she always had made it her mission to find it.

She remembered ghost hunting once. She remembered going around buildings, under train tracks, until she saw something or someone. Her footsteps were quick and hurried. She obviously knew that person. She caught up to him to see him talking…talking…talking to something. God what was it that he was talking to? She could remember speaking, saying something….

The story ended there. The boy's name had been forgotten. She was told time and time again that "Suuichi Minamono" had been her childhood crush. Everything that she wanted involved him somehow. And yet as she stared at a creature that was still trying to determine if she was anything to worry about, she couldn't recall him. No image popped with a name. She knew he might be the answer of her lost memories, but in the end, did they really, truly matter?

She doubted it. She had awoken these powers on their own. If she had them before and lost them, she might be well off trying to stay away from people like "Suuichi Minamono" and keep the powers well a secret. She wanted this for so long and now that she had it, she discovered that she could help people with it.

* * *

At one of her meetings, she placed her hands together in a prayer. She saw the teenage boy stand behind his parents, confused. There was a shining light that was next to him. Whatever it was, it was a good thing. It was a comforting, soothing thing to feel. She smiled and turned to the parents. "He's here with us now."

The parents took in deep breaths. Last words were so hard to chose. From "I love you" to "why did you do it" to "I regret everything", it was so hard to listen. She let the parents take their time, it wasn't really them that needed the message sent after all. It was the boy. The boy had words he wanted to say, questions he wanted to ask, he wanted to assure them, he wanted to promise them. Promises from the dead were more assuring than promises from the living, that much Maya knew for sure.

As the parents began to speak, the boy smiled at her. Apparently all he wanted was to know that he was going to be missed. His suicide wasn't all for nothing. The scars on his wrists never faded, it was a horrible crime he committed against the higher planes, but she knew that one day his parents would meet him. She watched as the shining light took hold of the boy's hands and they faded out of the house.

"He's gone." She told them. "He left me a message for me to tell you." And she assured them of the life that he most likely wouldn't be having for a good few years depending on what the punishment was in heaven.

* * *

She helped the dead more than she helped the living. Maybe that was bad. Maybe she should be assuring the living more than she should be with the spirits. However, she believed that everyone should have equal help. The living had all demons exterminated as long as she knew what to do. Yes, she might make a mistake one day and it would prove to be fatal, but she knew that as long as she knew her limits, the demons that passed it would be taken care of by someone else.

Isn't it funny that she wasn't at all concerned? Who knew? Maybe that "Suuichi Minamono" boy would be their exterminator. After all, her theories were correct then he ruined her powers. Demons should be quite easy for him to handle.

She laughed mirthlessly and walked on, the creature was moving too slow. It faded into the ground, leaving just a small reminder that would soon be forgotten.

* * *

_Please continue to review this story!_


	3. Crossing

_**Lynx Tiger: Sorry for the wait! Thank you Trapped In Reality for betaing this chapter!**_

Chapter Three: Crossing

Along her way home from shopping, she had walked by Yusuke's ramen stand. It wasn't a busy night, and the teen looked half asleep. She walked closer and waved. "Yo," she said as she slid into the stool. Yusuke nearly snapped himself awake, and gave a tired smile at Shizuru. "You look like someone beat you half to death."

"The customers are more likely to be the death of me than anything," he answered. "What brings you over here?" He knew that if Shizuru wanted to check up people, she would be calling them. To see her in person didn't really mean much. She more than likely got bored of trying to find frozen meals for herself to heat up or cook on her own and wanted a break. He got his tools ready, this was the second time Shizuru was in his stand and he wasn't about to let a good costumer feel neglected.

"The specialty was always a good pick I believed," Shizuru answered with a smile and watched Yusuke start making the noodles. Unlike most, he took Mr. Yukimura's advice and learned how to make his noodles from scratch and how to put things in to make it taste unique. The smell of freshly baked ramen brought in another customer. It drew to Shizuru that she had a strong aura and she was also human, but she could tell that she too was a physic.

It didn't escape Yusuke either. "You here for some ramen, too?"

"Yes." The girl had a very soft spoken voice. Her posture indicated that she was a gentle soul, but Shizuru had a feeling that her personality went beyond gentle. "I'm going to be arriving home late, so I decided to stop by. The food you're making smelled delicious. Is that why you started off as a stand?"

"Lady, I'm not thinking about buying a building any time soon. The scent is always what drags the customers in hungry or not." Yusuke chuckled.

The girl grinned and the two physics caught each other's eye. Shizuru took a deep breath in, knowing that Yusuke might let her smoke in the stand, since it was technically outside, but the girl…well…who knew what kind of health problems she might have? "Mind if I have a light?" She asked the girl.

"No, not at all," she answered, moving a pretend stray hair from her face. It was a nervous habit, Shizuru noticed. "Go ahead."

She reached into her shopping bag and opened a carton. She picked a pack up and tapped it a few times on the counter. While she did this, Yusuke was having fun showing off his skills with the knives and the skillets. She had to smile. No job besides making noodles was going to impress Yusuke much. He didn't have to work that hard and she was quite certain that he had Mr. Yukimura backing him up.

All recipes probably were changed up, made new, and probably scrapped all together to make his own inventions. Needless to say, with how much business he had going on, he had yet to make a mistake that would bring him to his knees.

Not like that was going to happen. If it did, Yusuke would do what he was known to do best. Fight for what he believed in. The ramen stand was a good way to make money and he didn't have to go to school for it and everyone knew that Yusuke more than likely didn't want to do much with his life and was happy doing this. Therefore, the stand was what he believed in, and Shizuru knew that it would remain safe. Competitors would have a tough challenge trying to defeat him.

Her ramen was done, and she snapped the chopsticks and glanced at the girl again. She wasn't speaking, or trying to get to know her or Yusuke. It was all right, but a little strange. Some people that were in stands tried to be socializing. It was a crowded place after all, and no one wanted a fight. Drinks were good to have over a snack and it was always nice to swap stories. However, this girl looked as if someone had broken her heart, crushed it, and left her down and broken.

She took a drag from her cigarette, and gently snuffed it out, but made sure to keep the stick

thin. She didn't get through it all, and it would be a waste if she just ended it before it began. She placed it on the ashtray and murmured her thanks for the meal. The girl seemed to have quirked up her lips as if she was remembering something.

Yusuke served the girl her ramen and watched his customers. He was used and not used to the silence that his business brought him. Usually everyone under his stand was some sort of chatter box. Some were looking for therapeutic advice, and others just wanted to brag about who did what and why. He rubbed his hands together and was surprised when the girl ended her meal first. She paid her tab and stood up.

Shizuru and Yusuke watched her go and looked at each other. "That seemed a bit odd, but no one is normal," he said in answer to the unspoken question.

She finished her ramen and relit her cigarette. "It did seem a bit odd."

Maya went home to an empty apartment. The only person that bothered her was a shadow that seemed to stay in the trees. She couldn't tell what shape it was, demon or spirit, or if it was just a person climbing a tree to get comfortable. All she knew was that while that shadow was around, she didn't feel safe at all. She had half of the mind to go to temples and beg exorcists to destroy the demon, but what if it was a human?

It might as well stay. She felt eyes on her back of the neck as she got herself ready for bed. As she did so, she thought back to the ramen stand. Those two people…one had a very strong aura, and the other had a weaker, but more stable one. Were they also physics? That would be very interesting if they were and didn't know it. But, she was quite sure that they did. They didn't seem to know that she was a physic though. Surely as one of their kind, they would recognize her.

Well, "one of her kind" wasn't a strong statement to make. She didn't know them, they didn't know her. She was just a faceless person in the crowd. A random customer looking for something to eat. All she happened to do was stumble in with two people that could see the same things she could, or maybe more than she could. Her sixth sense, though she would like to think, wasn't as strong as most. Demons that were beyond her capabilities to be handled were blurry to her and most likely humans in disguises. All she could do was tell whether or not something was off and be done. But auras sometimes tricked her. She couldn't always rely on it, and she knew that was bad.

She couldn't train it however. How could she? She had a job; she couldn't really afford the training even if she could. Also, Maya didn't want to relocate. All she wanted to figure out was answers. Answers that made sense to why she collapsed in front of the school and somehow got a "concussion," forgetting everything that had happened within the last twenty four hours and forgetting "Suuichi Minamono," and if she did have a crush on him, her feelings.

Maya went back to the living room and sat down. The shadow disappeared from the tree and it made her feel better, but a bit sad. Who exactly was watching her and why?


	4. Working

**Lynx Tiger: Thank you Trapped in Reality for betaing this chapter! Also, thank you reviewers! Your support is greatly appreciated!**

Chapter Four: Working

Even psychics couldn't rely on their abilities to get a job. Maya wasn't a fortuneteller, and she didn't know enough about divination to attempt at it. Therefore, her psychic abilities were only called upon literally. She made business cards just in case. Sometimes a ghost would tell her where to go and she would obey like a dog. It was a job. Not one she was paid for unless asked, but a job.

However, this _real _job of hers required her attention on a computer screen playing mahjong—a boring life at a company. Okay, so she did try to self-employee, but who cared about unnatural events at their own homes? Aliens that might come down from the sky? Really, everyone had a reasonable answer for their own fears and chalked it up to being jumpy. No one ever really checked what could be lurking in the shadows. If Maya was smart, she wouldn't either.

Shadows fascinated her. That was where all the spooky monsters, ghosts, and small class demons loitered. No one was brave enough to look. Maya did it all for free most of the time. Some of the time she was very lucky to be paid for her services, but…well…people never change. Never.

She tapped her fingers on the desk. She had stopped paying attention to her game a long time ago. Someone was walking down the aisle, whether to check on if everyone was doing what he or she were supposed to or not. Maya clicked out of her game and uploaded a text document that she had been writing on before she got bored of all the statistics, graphing, sales events, etc.

Maya waited knowing that once this guy looked at her screen he was going to nitpick at her work, pat her shoulder, and tell her to keep at it. Encouragement seemed to be the only thing keeping people in this stupid building. That besides a nicely written paycheck that helped her keep her apartment and food in the fridge.

"You may want to rewrite the graph. I'm quite positive our sales didn't go down that low. Recheck the numbers." A smooth voice told her.

She glanced at the corner of her eye. Oh. It was him. The stepson of the president of the company. She didn't know his name and didn't want to for some odd reason. He had red hair that was tied up in a ponytail, and his green eyes were gentle and kind. He wore a suit quite nicely. However, no matter how kind he was, Maya couldn't get rid of the feeling of sadness, hate, and guilt from her heart. "Okay." She said with a slight snip in her voice.

If he caught that, he didn't show it. He walked away as if there hadn't been an interaction between them. A man got up, peered over the cubical wall, and looked down at her. "You really hate him don't you? Bad relationship or something?"

Her heart lurched and she looked up at him. It hurt. It hurt so much and she didn't understand or probably even know why she was hurt. It was more than a slap to the face, but a punch in a gut was a little more than extreme. "I don't know." She answered truthfully. "I just…don't know."

"Well…if he's moved on, then maybe you should too?" The man suggested.

"I don't know what you're talking about, and I don't know why I hate him so much. Leave me alone, okay? He told me to check the numbers and that requires math. Which I'm bad at." She made a spinning motion with her finger, and he sighed. The clicking was all she needed to fill her head.

Because maybe that's all she needed.

From nighttime through today, there hadn't been any phone calls at work pleading her to check out their house. Once again, she lounged on her sofa, the television was turned off, and a ghost story was in front of her face. On table that seated a lamp was a bowl of cherries that she popped in her mouth. On the table in front of her was a Dixie cup where the pits went. The routine was simple. Take a cherry, turn a page, eat, savor, look at the next page, grab the cup, and spit the pit out, turn the page.

A boring routine reminded her of her job. The job that she was required to have since her psychic business wouldn't be able to cough up enough money to pay for the apartment, and she didn't want to wind up homeless. There was pride, and then there was need. She had enough pride; it was need that made her stay at the job. It was need that kept her from going full on with self-employment.

However, it was also pride. A shadow lingered outside her window, the same shadow that stalked her every night. No matter how close she'd get to the window, she never could see past the darkness to know what it was that stared at her and silently pleaded for her to come out. She never obeyed. A demon might try to take her down, a ghost might try to possess her (yes she seen it happen before with her very own eyes). She thought realistically as well. A stalker could mean someone ready to rape her at a given chance, kidnapped when the opening was just right. Why they wanted to do either of these things was a mystery to her.

As well as it should be. To know the minds of criminals wasn't exciting, and it scared her. To know what they think, to know what they looked for, it freaked her out every time. No, she'd rather keep it a mystery and pray she wasn't the next one. Which was why the shadow remained, and she wasn't concerned about it. It never was there during the day. She knew she was safe then. She also couldn't find any reason to call the police. What would she say? A creepy shadow was watching her. She been through the trouble of being called a laughingstock, and she didn't want to do it again.

So the shadow watched her until the bookmark was placed in a wonderful story. The light went out, and the silhouette of the woman walked around the dark apartment for a while, locking doors and windows before leaving the sight. The shadow stayed there for a moment longer before disappearing into the darkness.


	5. Findings

**Lynx Tiger: Thank you Trapped In Reality for betaing this chapter for me! Also thank you all who sent me reviews for the story! I tried to answer to everyone's but in case I didn't answer yours, I thank you!**

Chapter Five: Findings

It came to be quite a surprise to see the redhead fox standing in her doorway. Even though Kazuma was a great friend, he was often busy doing school and a job, so she could cross off that Kurama wanted to talk to him. Silently she moved herself back and watched as the fox gave her a slight smile as he entered, taking off his shoes without a second thought.

"Trouble?" She asked as she shut the door and followed him to the living room. It wasn't the neatest place, but it was clean. She took the couch and lounged in it while Kurama took the other side and merely straightened his back. His legs were crossed and his hands were folded in his lap. He looked very calm. "A lady friend I'm guessing?"

"Almost." Kurama replied. "It's stressful to have a reminder at work of a girl who had her memories erased."

"She works with you?" Shizuru didn't know the whole background of the story. What she did know was that he regretted it. He regretted it and he didn't at the same time. The girl was too young to sense demons and it was most likely not even her talents, but his presence that awoke the sixth sense in her. Demons would come after her and she wouldn't have a way to defend herself. Shizuru wasn't really pro of his decision, but it was better than letting her live and die from a demon attack. "That would be tough."

"Yes, it is. Of course, I treat her like a co-worker, but she treats me as if I'm an enemy. Apparently, her subconscious remembers that I have invaded her mind with a type of pollen that erases memories. That trigger makes her aware that I'm the one that "hurt" her." Kurama responded. "It's a normal response the body should feel."

"And yet it stings every time she glares at you." Shizuru said as she tapped a cigarette on the table and placed it in her mouth. She took her lighter from her pocket and lit up the tobacco rolled in paper, poison wrapped innocently in paper so to speak. "Sixth sense can be awakened again if the body finds the loss."

"I thought there was a chance. I felt something different about her." Kurama answered. "It's not strong like yours, but I can tell that she's beginning to see demons that are lower than low and ghosts perhaps."

"Kazuma and I can only feel ghosts. Botan herself said that ghosts couldn't be seen. Felt, but not seen." Shizuru said cautiously. "You're thinking that your lady friend can see what other mediums can't?"

"I'm not sure. It's a leap." Kurama replied.

"I suppose it is possible for it to happen…but I don't think you should get worked up fox-boy. I doubt she's in any danger." Shizuru tapped the cigarette on the ashtray and placed it back in her lips, feeling smoke burn her lungs and her throat, calming her in ways that nothing else would. "But that's not why you came here. You wanted to find out whether it was possible for me to track her down, find out if her sixth sense is strong, and maybe try to train her. Is that it?"

"Mainly to find out if her sixth sense is strong. I wasn't going to ask you for any type of training…I don't know if she'd take it." Kurama replied.

"If her sixth sense is strong, you're the one in danger. Blackmail, maybe a confrontation." Shizuru shrugged. "I don't see why you should be worked up about this."

"That's an exaggeration." Kurama smiled, but it was strained. "I knew when I erased her memories that there would be a chance that her sixth sense would merely sleep. It's been awakening, but that's what concerns me. She works at the company, if she's still going on about UFOS and ghosts, then I can understand why it's awakening."

"Her memories could return too. Nothing is permanent. Doctors can say all they want about incurable things, but the truth is they're only incurable because the doctors want more money." Shizuru responded. "Which is why when you erased her memories, you thought she wouldn't be close to you."

"She moved away during the summer. Her tiny schoolgirl crushes stopped, her attitude toward me changed to cold and uncaring, the same attitude that she gives me…but more confused than uncaring. I think she's seen the hole in her memories and I'm very sure that she knows, somewhere, that I'm the one who did it."

"With no proof she can't confront you." Shizuru sighed as she leaned back. Detective work was Yusuke's gift. She liked being a fighter and a supporter. At least she didn't have her life on the line. She smirked as she looked at the weapon in her hand; no, she had her life right on the verge of death. Seven years knocked off each time she inhaled, wasn't that what research proved? She wasn't sure. Kazuma would know because he was studying science. But she didn't care.

Kurama didn't answer, and she knew that the topic was over. He wasn't one to dwell on the facts. He went over them, she pointed out some of the loopholes he might have forgotten since it had been so long ago. She gave him a smile and didn't offer a change in topic.

Silence was golden after all.

The shadow found a new place to watch her. It freaked her out quite a bit when she saw it from the corner of her eye as she walked down the crowded Tokyo street. At first, she thought that she was being very paranoid, that the shadow wasn't the same one. When she got home, night fell, the street lights turned on, and she sat herself on the couch facing the sliding window. What did she see? The shadow standing in its usual spot on the tree branch.

It made her curious. It made her scared. It made her…realize that she might have a stalker. Of course, she didn't believe it. She was ordinary to people. Demons? Okay, she could believe that. She could believe a demon was watching her. But then why wasn't she sensing anything? She walked towards the sliding door and opened it. She walked on to the balcony and looked at the shadow. To normal people, it was just that, a shadow. But the shape of it was…familiar. It was as if she had seen this shape before.

"You follow me everywhere, I bet, and I never noticed until I started looking. What do I have that you want so much?" Maya asked, not expecting any answer.

"It's not what I want." Even the voice sounded familiar. God, where had she heard that voice before? "It's mainly concern."

"If you're concerned, you can show your face to me." Didn't that sound too hopeful?

A chuckle. "I have strict orders not to show you anything. It might trigger something."

"But your voice could trigger something, too." As if that didn't tell him, she was recognizing his voice.

The shadow shifted. So it was a person. "True. But if you don't have a face, the memory is still incomplete."

"You know about my lost memories."

"A bit."

"If you know them, is it true that Suuichi Minamono had something to do with it?" Maya gripped the balcony's railing tightly. Her skin turned white and her eyes were locked on to the shadow, not daring to look anywhere else. Her ears strained to hear him, in case he whispered his answer in hopes that she wouldn't catch it.

"Why do you search? What good does it give you?"

"What good?" Maya demanded. "It gives me the knowledge of who decided it was best for me to forget everything! I couldn't tell even my mother and my father when I returned home! They said that I fell and must have amnesia. I knew that didn't sound right, and I knew that something was wrong! Only recently did I start to remember that Suuichi Minamono had something to do with them. I remembered him being a school-crush. I remembered him being there when I ranted about UFOS and ghosts that I wanted to catch."

"You seemed to have remembered more than you think you have. The memories are awakening all on their own." The voice took on a mysterious aura. "Something's counteracting the pollen."

"Pollen?"

The shadow disappeared, and Maya bit her lip. She found out more than she had hoped, but now she had to figure more out. She had to know what it was that made her forget. At the same time, a little piece of herself was begging her that she found out more than enough and that she should stop. What good would it do knowing any of this? It would bring her peace. But at what cost was she willing to pay? That question scared her the most.


	6. Noticing

**Lynx Tiger: Thank you Trapped In Reality for betaing the chapter. I hope those of you that thought Hiei was stalking her is ready for a plot twist XD. **

Chapter Six: Noticing

He hung close by the temple in a tree, his leg swinging down. Most nights he spent at Kurama's apartment, since the fox never used it. Hiei wasn't sure why Shizuru wouldn't just move in with Kurama. They were in love for one thing, and second it wouldn't be a waste of an space. However, the fire apparition didn't have money to keep it going. It was most likely the reason why Kurama stayed close to it, so that he had a shelter. What Kurama failed to notice was the temple was also a place to stay.

His little sister, Yukina, was inside preparing tea. Kuwabara was trying to do homework in the living room, his eyes downwards and focused unless Yukina said something. Only then would the oaf look up, adoration in his eyes. Hiei would never question Kuwabara's honor, nor would he ever think anything close to trying to tarnish that pride. His stupidity and his idiotic tendencies were all Hiei would make fun of. How he treated his sister was nothing more than simple and pure love. Hiei wasn't blind enough to think that his sister was in any sort of danger or trouble.

Shizuru and Kurama. Yusuke and Keiko. Kuwabara and his sister. It was obvious everyone fell for the human emotion called love. It was something Hiei didn't believe in. Didn't want to believe in. He wasn't ludicrous enough to say that he didn't know that he admired Maya Kitajima. The young woman that once held Suuichi Minamono's attention.

Of course, she wasn't strong like a demon. Hell, she barely could protect herself. However, her determination to find her memories and solve once and for all about what happened was something to be admired. He knew that most humans, not all, would be curious to know about the big blank spot. The brain was the only thing to take and give memories. The ones that were taken were normally too traumatizing for the body to handle. The ones given were memories, both good and bad, that shaped the person to who they were. Her body knew her memories were good ones, the ones Kurama took away with good reason.

He didn't hold any promises to Kurama. He knew that the pollen would work for only until her sixth sense came back. He wasn't hopeful like the fox had been about her. He knew that she was going to do what she always going to do, be herself. She wasn't the type that would suddenly change because of a memory. However, he didn't know her back then, certainly didn't want to know her.

Now he didn't have a choice. Orders from Mukuro told him to find a certain shadow demon. He found him alright, looking out at Maya's window. Damn. He just had to be caught. The minute the shadow demon sensed him and Hiei already had made his move, the demon disappeared, leaving Hiei foolishly on the branch he was standing it. He was just thankful the trees hid his image.

She had grown. She wasn't beautiful. Hell, he doubted any of these human girls could call themselves that. But she wasn't ugly, he'd grudgingly admit. It made him wonder why the demon was watching her. He was quite certain that it's been a while. Maya had walked out, most likely to talk to the shadow, not knowing that she was talking to someone that once-a-upon-a-time tried to hurt her.

He closed his eyes. It wasn't his problem if she didn't notice anything.

The river roared as the currents flooded passed her. Each lap of the waves sounded like a slap across the face. Her hands were on her cheeks, her eyes staring at the murky brown. No river was ever clean. She had seen rivers blue and perfect, but she was quite sure that it was only because the temple made sure the water was kept fresh and safe. The territory everyone inherited from Genkai's death was theirs, and their responsibility was to make sure that the mountain, that the area remained pure.

Hiei had warned them to watch out for a shadow demon. He wasn't sure of the powers, but if Mukuro was sending him to ningenkai to roam around stupid, filthy humans, then it had to be powerful. Shizuru already had a feeling that the shadow knew how to escape the eyes of the royalty. Hell, she wondered how long it was going to take until Koenma called in Special Forces, since the Spirit Detective quit. Well, quit wasn't really what had happened. He merely refused to help anymore. It made sense—he was a demon awakened.

As she watched the river, she began to think. Yusuke seemed to keep up training. His energy was still on high, his awareness didn't dwindle, and he was focused. Perhaps the ramen stand gave him reasons that even she didn't understand. Besides being able to slack off and not study anything. She chuckled. Genkai had a way with that idiot. A way that no one else really could understand unless they were fighters.

She stood up and brushed herself off. The river was giving her melancholic thoughts. She didn't need those. What she did need was something to do. Drinking would be something, but unlike Atsuko, she didn't want a hang over. She really should check on Keiko and Yukina. They could go out for a girls' day…unless Keiko had studying to do. The poor girl really wanted to be a teacher really bad. She made the list and everything with her determination. Shizuru didn't want to ruin that streak.

It made her think that she should go back to school. College had been very difficult, and it discouraged and ruined her self-esteem. She dropped out, considering that a break and some time away would give her insight on what she wanted to do. Seeing how motivated Keiko was and how happy that she was trying to get a job she wanted, made Shizuru think.

She walked up the hill, finished off the cigarette that she had lit and snubbed it out. She turned her head to see the girl that had been at Yusuke's ramen stand a few weeks ago. She looked like something was bothering her. Her eyes were dark but had a light. Her hair was tied up professionally in a bun. Her grey skirt and her blouse looked ironed and pressed. However, in the outfit, Shizuru measured her to be forty even though the girl was most likely in her late or middle twenties.

The girl stopped and stared, obviously recognizing her. "Hello."

"Hey." Shizuru responded.

Awkward silence followed. The girl placed a finger to her chin and paused, "We've met before."

"At the ramen stand." Shizuru replied. Something about this girl just echoed that she needed someone to talk to. Her troubles were radiating from her in waves. "I know we don't know each other, but you seem like you're upset about something."

"Not surprising you know." The girl gave a weary grin.

"I'm Shizuru Kuwabara."

"Maya Kitajima." Maya replied. "Pleased to meet you." She gave a small bow. "You wouldn't want to hear what's bothering a stranger though."

"Who said you were a stranger? You did introduce yourself." Shizuru pointed out to Maya. She had to wonder though, was this the same Maya that Kurama was fussing about? If that was the case, she bet she could guess what was wrong with the girl. "What keeps you down?"

"Just a stalker." Maya replied. "Who seems to know a lot more than he should. Maybe that's good. Maybe that's bad. I don't know honestly."

A stalker? Shizuru frowned. Maya didn't seem to take it like normal people. Most would be freaking out, calling the cops, and being paranoid. She took it as if it was a normal, everyday occurrence. "That's a bit frightening."

"Is it?" Maya asked as if she was talking to air. She didn't seem interested about whether it was strange not to freak out. "I don't know if it's frightening that he knows about-" She broke off and gave a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be telling you this."

That was the answer. Kurama was worried about the same Maya. Shizuru sighed as she rubbed the back of her head. It looked like she was getting her memories back. Who was the stalker then? "Let me guess, you lost your memories, and you have to figure out how that happened, and who did it?"

The young woman wasn't at all shocked. Instead, she gave a smile. "You know about it?"

"It was in the papers." Shizuru lied.

Maya nodded, "I suppose it would be. A girl faints on her own doorstep. Loss of memory is concern. I bet whoever did the memory erasing was surprised to know the press got a hold of it." She paused. "Of course, I already know that it wasn't in the papers. I'm merely kidding around. It doesn't really matter; I bet this Suuichi Minamono told you."

"…Yes…he did."

"I thought so. It seems like he's the center of it all, but every time I want to talk to him…I hate him so much." Maya folded her arms around her waist. "I don't know where I get these feelings, but I guess everything tells me to stay away."

"Yet you're searching for answers." Shizuru pointed out.

"He would lie." Maya didn't seem to register that Shizuru already had spoken a sentence. "For some reason, I bet he'd pat my head and lie about it. I feel like…he'd just do it again."

"You think so?"

"I know." Maya replied. Her eyes glanced down at her arms, her body froze, and her mouth went agape. "Oh gosh, I'm late for a meeting! Why did I decide to go on a stroll? I'm sorry Ms. Kuwabara, I have to leave. It was nice meeting you!" She dashed off in the same direction that she came from.

Shizuru also had to wonder why the young woman came so far away from town, just to sit by the river. What made her decide to do something like that?


End file.
